flight, with great speed, as well as with great affection. and delight. A life-time would be little enough, for some weak people, to crawl over a number of steep mountains and hills; but a swift roe, or hart can swiftly come over them: even so, Christ will not be long of coming; when he pleases, he can in a moment make a sudden change in the condition of his people: that which, if their duty and diligence should take it in task, would be insuperable, he can effect in a trice; even when they come to duty, even in a desperate case, under their difficulties; he can meet with them in an instant, and make them like the chariot of Aminadab; he can, from the height of heaven, his holy habitation, come down to the lowest pit of discouragement in haste; "Behold, he cometh quickly." He loses no time, when he comes, however this poor people, under darkness may be crying, "How long, O Lord? how long?" Yet he is on his way, and will come in the season, and in the time of need.

5. When he is said to come "leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills," it imports, his eminent and conspicuous way of coming, even in state and in majesty. As one upon the top of a mountain, running with speed, is well seen, and conspicuous; so Christ makes his coming evident and eminent sometimes: when the highest One, is seen upon the highest mountains in his way, how does his glory appear! The higher the mountains are that he comes over, the more doth the glory of his grace appear: we make the distance, and he makes it up; we raise the mountains, and he comes over them. O the majesty of his grace and mercy!

6. His leaping on the mountains, and skipping on the hills, imports, the easiness of his approach; that whatever impediments we lay in the way betwixt him and us, and however insuperable they be to us, yet it is for Christ to come over them: he comes with a conquering power; mountains and hills cannot hinder him; his motion is irresistible and unobstructable: with great ease, he removes all difficulties that are lying in the way. In his quick and nimble motion, he leaves

easy

all the mountains and hills behind him, turning his back upon the mountains, and his face upon the poor sinner, that his sins may no more stand like mountains betwixt them; "Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back,' Isa. xxxviii. 17. Yea, it is not only a leaping over the mountains and hills, that is here spoke of, so as to leave them untouched with his feet, and untrode upon; but his leaping upon the mountains, seems to import, his treading on them, and treading them down in his way; and how far down may we suppose he treads them, when, by another metaphor, he is said, to cast all our sins into the depths of the sea? Micah vii. 19. Yea, it is such a leaping on the mountains, and skipping onthe hills, as seems to import, his leaping over the valleys, and making nothing of them, he treads down-the mountains of sin and guilt in his way; but as to the deep valleys of grief, shame, sorrow, discouragement, and fears that his people had on the account of sin, these he kindly overlooks, or rather fills up these deep valleys, when he treads down the mountains, as it is said, Luke iii. 5, 6." Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought down; the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."So much shall suffice concerning the manner of his coming on the mountains; he cometh in majesty over principalities and powers.

IV. The fourth head proposed, was, To speak a little of the strangeness of his coming thus, and yet the certainty of it, together with the reasons why no mountain or hill shall be able to hinder him. And,

1st, As to the strangeness and wonderfulness of it. It may justly be reckoned strange and wonderful, as in all the respects already mentioned; so,

1. If we consider the person thus coming; who is he, but the king of glory, the heir of all things, the eternal Son of God, the holy one of Israel, the infinitely holy God, so as the heavens are not pure in his sight, and he charges the angels with folly, is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity! How stupendous is his condescension, that he should come to us leaping and skipping on all

the hills and mountains of sin and provocation! Is not this wonderful!

2. If we consider the persons to whom he comes this way; even to those that have busied themselves in raising mountains, and heaping up hills between him and them even the bride of Christ was but a base harlot ; "Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers." O! will he come again leaping over mountains and hills to her? It is vastly wonderful!

3. If we consider how high and how many the mountains are which he comes skipping over. Did justice break out against the old world in a deluge of water; against Sodom in flames of fire; against Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, by making the earth open, and swallow them up alive? And instead of treating you in that manner, shall love and mercy come leaping and skipping toward you, over all these mountains of sin, that ruin the rest of the world? O surprisingly wonderful!

4. If we consider how kindly he comes to his unkindly and uncomely bride, lifting up his feet over all the ragged rocks in his way. O the heart-hardness, heartdeadness, heart-enmity, heart-rebellion, heart-aversion from, and opposition to the way of God! the formality, selfishness, hypocrisy, deceit and desperate wickedness of our hearts! If we see that rugged path he hath to come, we cannot but admire and wonder at his coming, and coming in such infinite kindness, as may ashame and confound us for our unkindness. He that came over the mountain of divine vengeance, due to us, and trode the vine-press of infinite wrath alone, he comes skipping over all these lesser mountain: they are no bigger than motes beneath the feet of love coming over them. Again,

5. It is wonderful, if you consider how often and how frequently he comes leaping over all these mountains. That he should come again and again, as he says to his disciples when he left them; " Now you have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice;" and especially when we have sinned him away, that ever he should come again, is a wonder. But as

coming is his trade, so he is a daily comer to his bride; coming by his word, by his Spirit, by his providence, by his daily supports. And he never comes, but he hath new mountains and hills laid in his way, if he could be hindered by them. And hence,

6. It is wonderful and strange, if you consider the bad reception he meets with, when he comes, even leaping and skipping on the mountains. No wonder that the bride say with astonishment, "Behold he cometh leaping, notwithstanding all the ill-treatment he met with! Does he not often come to a sleepy, drowzy bride? The spouse was asleep in the bed of security, Song v. 2, 3. And is he not often put to the pains of much knocking, before he get entrance to our hearts? "I have put off my coat, said she, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?" He knocks at every one's door by the gospel-call: and the wise virgins, as well as the foolish, may be asleep, but with this twofold difference.

(1.) Christ and believers are always in speaking terms; " I sleep, but my heart waketh:" she hears, as it were, through her sleep, even the voice of her Beloved.

(2.) In the believer's heart there is always a hole of communication; "My Beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him,”. Song v. 4. However, his coming is always wonderful, whether he come to strangers, to make a hole in their hearts, for communicating himself to them: or to his friends, to put in his hand by the hole that was already made in their hearts, for him. His coming to strangers and aliens, must be leaping over the high mountains of an unregenerate state, and an unrenewed heart and nature, to level that mountain in his way: and his coming to his unkind friends, must be in a way of leaping over such sins against love, as are yet higher mountains, and more highly aggravated sins, than the unrenewed and unregenerate are capable of. O then, in this respect his coming thus is wonderful, and far different from the way of creatures one with another! How unwilling are they to forgive injuries, and come over any affronts

done them by men, like themselves, and especially if they be above them in their worldly station? If any such shall freely forgive you an injury you have done him, you reckon it an act of marvellous generosity, and condescension in such a person; how much more, when the grest JEHOVAH, who inhabits eternity, is pleased to come over the mountains of all your provocations, and to forgive and forget all the affronts and indignities you have done to him! Yet,

2dly, I come to shew the certainty of his coming thus and why no mountain or hill shall be able to hinder him. Now, that however strange and wonderful it be, yet it is sure and certain, that when he hath a mind to come to his people, no mountain or hill shall be able to hinder, but he will come leaping and skipping over them: why this is sure,

1. Because of his promise, who is the true and faithful witness, that cannot lye; he hath said, "He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry," Heb. x. 37. He hath said, "Now ye have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your hearts shall rejoice; and your joy no man shall take from you," John xvi. 22. And that he will come over all mountainous impediments that intervene between him and them, appears from his promise, particularly to his deserted and distressed church; "In a little wrath I hid myself from thee, for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will 1 have mercy on thee, saith the Lord, thy Redeemer. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempests, and not comforted, behold, I will lay they stones with fair colours," &c. Isa. liv. 8. 11,-14.

2. It is sure, because of the perpetuity of his loye and mercy, which surmounts all the mountains in his way: "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee, Isa. liv. 10.— He is God, and changeth not, therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed, Mal. iii. 6.-He remembers them in their low estate, because his mercy endureth for ever," Psal. cxxxvi. 23. See also Psal. Ixxxix. 30.